Today, I’m sharing the three key ways to grow your email list using Facebook without feeling like a beggar trying to fill her bucket with new leads.

No one wants to do that – or see you doing that! Seriously.

This is one of the biggest newbie mistakes I see health coaches and service-based entreprenurs make when they start a mailing list.

When you take the time to create a magnetic opt-in that people can’t wait to get their hands on and put it right under their noses then they will be begging you for more information!

Don’t have an opt-in yet to grow your email list? Check out these done-for-you opt-ins here.

When it comes to Facebook there’s a fine line between being a valuable tool in building your business and being a time suck that helps you reach the goals for your business.

It’s up to you to walk on the right side of that line.

The last thing you want to do is constantly post your opt-in freebie.

Your fans will be frustrated with the lack of fresh content!

Instead, it’s best to use your Facebook ‘Real Estate’ that’s optimized for building your client base without working so hard.

The good news is Facebook is on your side. If you build a successful brand on Facebook, then you’ll use their services more often. It’s a tots win-win situation for them. It wasn’t always that way until some savvy business owners started to get creative with their Facebook profile, and I think they got the hint. Now they have 3 built-in areas just for you to showcase your biz and offer a special offer to your fans.

three sections of your fb page that you must be using to promote your business for consistent email list growth

1. The Cover Photo

This is by far the BIGGEST space you have on Facebook, so use it wisely. Yes, it’s fun to show the latest retreat you hosted, a group of happy clients or a healthy and delicious meal, but these make much better content for actual Facebook posts than something static like your cover photo. You’re going to get the most value from your time spent on Facebook by using this as a billboard for your opt-in offer.

According to Facebook the ideal Facebook cover photo size is … 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. Keep in mind you don’t have don’t want your text or offer to spill into all of this space. You’ll notice that your profile picture/logo, page name, and the Sign Up and Share buttons overlay this space of yours.

If you’re good with graphics, you can whip something like this up in Photoshop in just about 10 minutes. If not, that’s ok. One of my favorite non-Photoshop tools is Canva. They even have a pre-made layout the optimal size of your Facebook cover photo size. If you’re really not good at design or don’t have the time to make something like this then find a designer to do it for you or use one of these done-for-you templates from my shop here. These are all easily editable on Canva – and you won’t have to pay a designer every time you want to update your cover photo.

The most important step to using the cover photo as a place to grow your mailing list is the image description. You see that ‘Click Here’ box on the photo? The truth is it doesn’t bring you to my landing page/registration page for the freebie.

No, it pops up in a light box just like any other image will on Facebook when you click on it.

Ok, genius, so how do you use this to get leads?

Turn the image description into your freebie offer:

You see what I did there? Now when someone clicks on this link, it takes them to my automated webinar on how to use essential oils and my cover photo is now complete.

2. The ‘Button’ Box

You’ll see the button underneath your cover photo. You can customize this based on your social media goals. Here are the current options Facebook gives you to choose from:

Personally, I think this works perfectly to encourage people to message you directly. Then you can create a Facebook Messanger Bot using ManyChat. However, it can still be used as a valuable tool for building your email list.

You’ll see an option to “Add Button” on your page. Click on this and it will walk you through the steps to get started.

There are a lot options when it comes to choosing what your button says from Book Now to Learn More to Buy Now. I recommend using the Sign Up button based on research from Facebook. It’s the highest converting button choice for a lead magnet like the one you’re offering.

3. The About Sign Up Incentive

The last static area on Facebook is one that most people skip. The other two we’ve already talked about are more obvious choices for sharing an opt-in freebie and growing your email list. The small About section can be the most powerful area to host your freebie. Why? Because people are curious and will want to learn more about you.

It’s directly under your social proof and the number of likes that you have on your page, and social proof is everything when it comes to building a business online.

When you’re at a live workshop or a live group program, you’re there in the flesh to showcase your knowledge and your commitment to your clients’ successes. Online all bets are off. Anyone can create a Facebook page and start an online business. When you have social proof like testimonials or likes, your clients will trust you even more.

The best part…in this section, you just need a description of your offer and the link to sign up. No fancy graphics or design work needed. Really there’s no excuses to skipping the About section on your page.

#1 tool you’ll need to make this work

You’ll notice that each one of these optin offers have a link included that goes to a beautifully designed landing page for people to enter their name and email address. It looks like I spent hours and hours doing this, right? It really only took a few minutes for me using my absolute favorite (and #1 tool outside of Facebook and my Email provider) tool to create this. That tool is called Leadpages and they offer free templates for landing pages that integrate with all of the most popular email service providers including Aweber and ConvertKit as well as webinar providers like GoToWebinars and EasyWebinars.  (That’s an affiliate link, by the way. I love and use Leadpages, but just wanted to let you know).

If you’re serious at all about growing your business through email (which who isn’t!?), then I highly suggest creating your own Leadpages account. So serious that I actually wrote a post about getting started with Leadpages.

If you’re considering Leadpages, here’s a guide to help you out: How to Grow Your Business with Leadpages

let’s chat in the comments! what’s one action step you’re taking away from this post to grow your biz?